Han Xuanji had reached the summit of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, and now his prestige within the Hun Family was at its peak; Ling Feng had no choice but to yield.
Finally, Ling Feng lowered his head, his voice raspy.
"I shall follow the Elder's orders... I... I will apologize."
Hun Cangfeng nodded and said indifferently:
"It is good that you have come to your senses. Go and prepare. When Han Xuanji returns, keep your attitude humble; do not let others catch any fault with you."
"Yes..."
Ling Feng bowed and withdrew from the main hall, his back more hunched than before, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Inside the hall, Hun Cangfeng and Third Young Master Hun Qianchen exchanged a look, both shaking their heads slightly.
"This Ling Feng—he's more than capable of ruining things, but useless at achieving them."
Hun Cangfeng remarked coolly.
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen sighed softly.
"I also did not expect that Han Xuanji would actually be able to go this far... It seems we all underestimated him."
"This time, Hun Qianxue will likely use this incident to make a grand display; his position as Family Head will probably be even more secure."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
After a moment of silence, Third Young Master Hun Qianchen was the first to break it. The gravity on his face faded, replaced by a trace of cold ferocity, his voice kept extremely low:
"Elder, if this continues, Han Xuanji will surely become Hun Qianxue's most capable assistant. Our situation within the clan will only become increasingly difficult. Why don't we... find an Opportunity to eliminate him? Once and for all, to end all future troubles."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the hall instantly became colder. The killing intent in Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's eyes was completely undisguised.
He only wanted to nip this hidden threat in the bud as early as possible.
Hun Cangfeng picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and took a sip before speaking slowly:
"Qianchen, what did you mean by 'taking action' just now?"
A cold glint flashed in Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's eyes as he lowered his voice: "Han Xuanji. If this boy continues to grow, he will sooner or later become a major asset to Hun Qianxue. Rather than waiting for his wings to fully develop, it is better to strike while he is still weak..."
He did not finish his sentence, but his meaning was already obvious.
Hun Cangfeng slowly raised his hand, signaling him to be patient. His brow was furrowed, lost in thought. After a moment, Hun Cangfeng set down the teacup, remained silent for a while, and then shook his head.
"To act now would be too hasty."
"Hasty?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen looked puzzled.
"Han Xuanji is currently only at the Eternal Dao Master Realm. No matter how high his talent is, his strength is limited. If we act in the shadows, silently and without a trace, how could the losses outweigh the gains?"
"Once he truly comes into his own, it will be too late to act."
"Do you know how many eyes are watching him right now?"
Hun Cangfeng looked up at Third Young Master Hun Qianchen, his tone flat yet carrying a hint of warning.
"The Five Elements Tower just released the news of him reaching the summit, and the entire Qianhun City is talking about it. If something happens to him now, who do you think will be the first to be suspected?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen's face stiffened. He opened his mouth but could not find a word to rebut.
"You are too impatient."
Hun Cangfeng glanced at him and spoke slowly, "Han Xuanji has just reached the top of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, and his prestige is at its peak. Hun Qianxue is protecting him well and must have arranged people in the shadows. If we act rashly and are exposed, it will only bring trouble upon ourselves and give Hun Qianxue a handle against us. What would our situation be then?"
"Besides, he is but a mere Eternal Dao Lord. No matter how high his talent, it takes time to grow."
"At the very least tens of thousands of years, or even hundreds of thousands."
"At worst, once the hype has died down, we can find a suitable moment to deal with him conveniently. Why the rush?"
"Moreover, he might even perish prematurely on his own. Why should we take the risk?"
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded:
"The Elder is right. I was indeed too impatient."
"You were also considering the big picture; I do not blame you."
Hun Cangfeng waved his hand, changing the subject. "The priority now is to deal with Hun Qianxue's pressure."
"With Han Xuanji reaching the summit this time, he will surely take the Opportunity to settle scores with those who originally opposed him."
"Fortunately, we have that fool Ling Feng to draw all the attention. They won't be able to trace it back to us, so we won't have to pay too high a price."
Third Young Master Hun Qianchen snorted coldly.
"Ling Feng brought it upon himself. We didn't ask him to jump out and be the first to speak up; he simply couldn't keep his cool."
"That may be true, but Ling Feng is close to us after all."
Hun Cangfeng stroked his beard. "Let Hun Qianxue vent his anger. Losing one Ling Feng in exchange for our stability is a price worth paying."
The two looked at each other and smiled with a tacit understanding.
...
Dozens of days later, at the summit of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder.
The water in the courtyard pond remained clear, while the spiritual plants by the side seemed to have grown a bit taller, emitting a much richer fragrance.
During this period, Han Xuanji and Xiao Yan spent every day together, conversing at length.
In these dozens of days, they were together from dawn till dusk, discussing everything from the Way of the Five Elements to the Laws of heaven and earth. They shared insights and validated their respective Daos. Even though neither had revealed their true origins, a mutual sense of appreciation and respect had gradually grown between them.
Xiao Yan continued to disguise himself as a Loose Cultivator from the outer realms, deliberately concealing his identity as the Divine Son of the Great Sheng Holy Dynasty. He claimed only to be of humble origin, misunderstood since childhood, and thus cultivated alone, traveling everywhere in search of Opportunity.
This explanation happened to coincide perfectly with the identity Han Xuanji had fabricated. Sometimes, friendship between men is just that strange.
Xiao Yan felt that Han Xuanji understood him deeply. Although Han Xuanji's experience seemed limited, his words were often sharp and to the point, giving Xiao Yan sudden moments of enlightenment.
On this day, Han Xuanji finally stood up, cupped his hands to Xiao Yan in a respectful salute, and spoke sincerely:
"Brother Xiao, I have troubled you for many days and benefited greatly. Now that my Five Elements Dao Laws have improved, it is time for me to take my leave and return to the Hun Family."
"Brother Han, you are leaving so soon?"
Xiao Yan looked at Han Xuanji, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance.
Han Xuanji nodded.
"All good things must come to an end. It is time to say goodbye."
Xiao Yan smiled and did not try to keep him further.
Over these days, he had increasingly noticed Han Xuanji's extraordinary nature.
The other man's cultivation appeared low, but his depth of understanding of the Way of Laws and his unique insights into the path of cultivation far surpassed those of his peers.
Sometimes, he even felt that Han Xuanji's way of thinking about certain problems did not resemble an Eternal Dao Lord, but rather an old monster who had lived for countless ages.
"It is a pity Brother Han's cultivation is still shallow, otherwise I would truly like to have a sparring match with you."
Xiao Yan sighed, his tone filled with a bit of regret.
Han Xuanji laughed.
"With Brother Xiao's cultivation, if I sparred with you now, wouldn't I just be asking for trouble?"
Xiao Yan shook his head.
"Sparring is not a life-and-death struggle; I would not take advantage of your cultivation level. However... you are right, now is indeed not the time."
He paused and looked at Han Xuanji seriously.
"Brother Han, I will wait for you for a thousand years. A thousand years from now, at the Qianhun City Law Conference, you and I shall have a fair and honorable battle."
Han Xuanji was slightly taken aback, then smiled.
"Fine, it's a promise."
The two looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.
Wang Chong, hidden in the shadows, could not help but frown when he heard the words 'a thousand years'.
He and Xiao Yan had already agreed to stay in Qianhun City for a few more decades before leaving.
After all, while no one from the Great Sheng Holy Dynasty had come looking for trouble yet, staying too long would inevitably lead to complications.
But now Xiao Yan was saying he would wait for Han Xuanji for a thousand years...